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Breaking Bad Rosie Wikia
Breaking Bad Summary Breaking Bad is an American Crime Drama television series produced by Vince Gilligan. The 5 season show started airing on AMC network on January 20, 2008 and the last episode was aired on September 29, 2003. The series was awarded with numerous awards including 16 Prime time Emmy Awards, 8 Satellite Awards, 2 Golden Globe Awards, 2 Peabody Awards, 2 Critics Choice Awards and 4 Television Critics Association Awards. Breaking Bad is regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time due to its amazing cast, original plot line and well executed acting and producing. The show stars Bryan Cranston as Walter White and Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman and are producers of crystallised meth in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The show highlights their struggles in producing and selling meth and the choices they make to protect themselves without being caught by the DEA or their family. Walter also has to face the struggle of his stage 3 terminal lung cancer, which was diagnosed in the first episode of the show. During the show, Walter is told his time is very limited meaning if he is to provide his family the best he can, he needs to continue his partnership with Jesse and produce as much as he can. The original plot of the show created by Vince Gilligan is the reason why it was regarded as one of the greatest televisions series of all time. Having such a simple man like Walter become the next biggest drug lord in New Mexico is not something to be expected in a drama series. The unexpected events also catch viewers' attention as having such different characters form and alliance with each other is not a typical television series. Out of all the other American Drama shows, none of them had the same story line as Breaking Bad. ''By having such a different plot, makes the show more captivating to audiences because they haven't seen a drama show like it. The only other show similar is the American Comedy Drama ''Weeds which Vince Gilligan noted when first creating the show. Vince has created the show in a way so that the roles of admiration is reversed by having the drug manufacturer as the favoured one instead of the condemned and the law abiding DEA agent Hank, as the disapproved one because of his leading case against Walt instead of a hero. Reversing these roles has made the show more enjoyable to watch as it is so distinctive. Vince Gilligan Vince Gilligan is a famous producer, director and writer from Richmond, Virginia. He was born on 10 February, 1967 and is most recognised for his work on the television show Breaking Bad. Vince has also contributed to "Better Call Saul", "The X-Files", "The Lone Gunmen" and many other productions. Vince has won numerous awards for his writing, directing and the producing of "Breaking Bad". Vince started his career young when he was friends with Angus Wall who became a successful film editor and title designer, they would create films together and shared a passion in the arts. After writing a screenplay for 'Home Fries', he received an award for the screenplay and went on to meet one of the judges who introduced him to "The X-Files" creator Chris Carter. This is where Vince's career started in big productions. Season 1 The first season of Breaking Bad aired January 20, 2008 and finished on March 9, 2008. There are 7 episodes to this season each with a name that relates to the episode. The first season of Breaking Bad introduces Walter and Jesse's life and their differences. Walter and Jesse form a partnership after Walt is diagnosed with stage 3 terminal lung cancer to produce and sell crystallised meth so that Walter can support his family after his death. This path comes with many problems as Walt is exposed to the drug world and the issues that come with it. They are pushed to their limit when they are forced to make decisions to protect themselves and the ones they love. Walter comes to learn how important his family is and what the drug world can turn someone into when provoked with money, enemies and reputation. After realising this, Walter turns back to Jesse when the money he made is spent on his cancer treatments and he needs more to provide for his family. After his first experience cooking meth, Walter takes extra precautions in concealing his and Jesse's identity whilst expanding his product to bring in more money. This season is the introduction to Walter and Jesse's mass meth production and how they started the business. Episodes Pilot Breaking Bad's first episode aired on January 20, 2008 on the AMC network in the United States. The first episode introduces the main characters of the season and builds suspension into how Walter White (Bryan Cranston) is standing in the middle of the road half naked with a gun towards the sound of sirens. The pilot introduces Walter White and his family away from his 2 jobs at the local high school and car wash. Walter's son, Walter Junior (RJ Mitte) has cerebral palsy and Walter's wife Skylar (Anna Gunn) is due another child. Walter is then diagnosed with stage 3 terminal lung cancer and keeps this secret to himself. Shortly after during a ride-along with his brother-in-law Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) who is a member of the DEA in New Mexico, he witnesses an ex-student of his, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) fleeing a crime scene of a meth lab. Walter then tracks down Jesse and arranges a partnership to make methamphetamine together. They gather supplies from Walter's school and buy a camper van to cook in. Using a new recipe Walter has created, they cook the meth in the middle of the desert out of the way of people. After creating the purest meth Jesse has seen, he tries to sell it to a higher level drug dealer (Krazy-8) but they make him show them his cook site so they can steal the recipe. Jesse takes them to Walter and by using a chemical reaction suffocate them with toxic fumes. Walter flees the scene with Jesse and crashes the can on the side of the road as he awaits what is coming down the road. The Cats in the Bag... Episode 2 of Breaking Bad was aired on January 27, 2008 on the AMC network. Walter and Jesse hide the meth van at Jesse's house with an injured Krazy-8 and dead Emilio in the back. Walter returns home to his wife Skylar who is very concerned about how distant he has been lately. During a doctor's visit they are told their newborn will be a girl. Walter then tells Skylar that he has been buying and smoking weed from Jesse explaining why he isn't home as much. Meanwhile Jesse moves Krazy-8 to his basement and locks him to a pole to keep him still. Walter and Jesse flip a coin to decide who should deal with the dead body and who is to kill Krazy-8 in the basement. Jesse has the role of disposing of the dead body by dissolving him in hydrofluoric acid. Instead of following Walter's directions of buying a plastic tub to use, Jesse decides to dissolve Emilio in a ceramic bathtub in his house. By doing so, the acid eats through the bathtub and ceiling falling into Jesse's hallway. ...And the bags in the river Breaking Bad's third episode was released on February 10, 2008 on the AMC network. Walter and Jesse are still cleaning up the mess from the dissolved bath tub in the hallway which ends in an argument because Walter hasn't held up his end of the deal which is to kill Krazy-8. Walter then spends some time with Krazy-8 having a conversation. Walter then realises Karzy-8's intentions by being nice to him which is to kill him with a piece of broken plate that Walter dropped earlier when he fell down the stairs. Using the metal around his throat, Walter chokes Krazy-8 to death and then disposes of the body and leaves Jesse's house. Hank and his team then find Krazy-8's and Emilio's abandoned car in the desert with traces of Walters and Jesse's meth. Cancer Man The 4th episode of Breaking Bad was aired on February 17, 2008 on the AMC network and the main plot of this episode was Walter involving his family in his lung cancer dilemma. At the start of the episode, Skylar bursts into tears as memories of her and Walter flood her mind. She realises that the precious moments left with Walt are limited. Meanwhile, Hank tests the gas mask they found and find traces of the same 99.1% pure meth Walter made. Jesse is having a hard time by himself and stays with his parents for a while even though they do not approve of him as much as they do their younger son Jake who is the perfect child to them. He sells the rest of the meth he and Walt cooked and gives Walter his share of $4,000. Skylar stresses about Walters treatment and pleads to get the best doctor they can for the treatment which will cost them $90,000. Walter is not happy about the cost of the treatments and doesn't find them necessary. By not showing any emotion towards the subject, Walter Jr becomes frustrated as he witnesses his father not worrying about his future and his future with his family. Gray Matter Episode 5 of Breaking Bad was aired on February 24, 2008 and involves the distant relationship that has formed between Walt and Jesse as they go their separate ways only to realise they need each other. Walt continues his daily life with Skylar and attend his old friend Elliot's birthday where he is offered his old job in his company and his cancer treatments paid for by Elliot. Walter declines the job offer and the money as he feels he doesn't need the treatment as he believes they won't work. Skylar stages an intervention for Walt with the rest of the family but this doesn't change Walter's decision about the treatment until later when he agrees to go forth with treatment. Meanwhile, Jesse attempts to make the same pure meth that he and Walter would make but fails several times as his new partner Badger isn't that much help to the process. Walter ends up asking Jesse to cook with him again as he will need the money to pay for all the treatments. Crazy Handful of Nothin' Episode 6 was released on March 2, 2008 on the AMC network and introduces the new drug lord Tuco. Walt and Jesse start by making and selling meth but Walt wants more money from their product. He then convinces Jesse to meet with Tuco to organise a deal but instead Jesse is put in hospital from serious injuries inflicted by Tuco and his men. The DEA find the mask that Walt and Jesse used for their first cook and trace it back to Walter's science lab where they note that several pieces of equipment from the lab are missing. After realising what Tuco did to Jesse, Walt meets with Tuco himself and demands money and a deal on $50 000. A No-Rough-Stuff-Type Deal The last episode of season 1 Breaking Bad was aired on March 9, 2008 and is the start of Walter and Jesse's mass drug production. Walter increases the deal with Tuco to $35 000 per pound for 4 pounds which is more than they have ever made in 1 week. To do this Walt and Jesse need to steal an illegal liquid called methyl-amine to substitute the cold and flu tablets they were using previously. They start to cook the meth in Jesse's basement but as Jesse's house is up for sale, there is a home open on the day they cook making it difficult to work. Skylar has a baby shower for Holly and receives an unnecessarily expensive tiara from Marie and decides to return it only to find it was stolen. Skylar confronts Marie but she won't admit the stolen tiara. During the meet with Tuco, Walt decides to have a hidden identity to protect himself and decides to call himself 'Heisenberg' so no one knew who he was. Characters Each character played by the actors in this series have individual characteristics and personalities. They all have an important role to the series and are involved somehow in Walter's situation. Throughout the season, all characters portray different beliefs and values as more is known about them and they are further developed in the show. Walter White Walter White (Bryan Cranston) is a middle-aged chemistry teacher at his local high school. Walt also works at the local car wash to earn extra money to support his wife Skylar, son Walter Jr. and there soon to come baby girl. Walt and his family live in Albuquerque, New Mexico along with Skylar's sister Marie and her husband Hank Schrader. Walter is a humble man and loving father and when diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer after his 50th birthday, he keeps this from his family as he does not want to worry them. Instead, Walt starts producing and selling methamphetamine with his ex-student Jesse Pinkman after catching him flee from a meth lab. Walt and Jesse organise a deal in which he can make large amounts of money to provide for his family after his death. During the season, Walter is faced with many hard decisions and situations where he must take action to protect himself and his family. He changes as a man and as a husband as he turns himself into the drug king of New Mexico under the name 'Heisenberg' to conceal his identity. Walter makes alliances with other dealers to expand his product. After informing his family of his condition, they are all deeply concerned for Walt's health and what will happen in the near future. Walter Junior is the most disturbed as he doesn't understand how Walter can be so OK with his cancer. After refusing the treatment is family insists of, Walt finally agrees for the sake of his family to get the treatment. Walter is offered money for his treatment from an old friend of his Elliot but is outraged that Skylar is asking for charity for the treatment and turns down the offer. Although when it comes time to pay for his treatment, Walter lies to his family and says that they payed for it when in fact his drug money was paying for it all. To be able to pay for all his treatments and provide after his death, Walt realises he needs to produce more meth with Jesse if that is to happen. Walt and Jesse later expand by providing a big local drug dealer with their meth to sell in large amounts. Walt is faced with many problems doing this as he is to produce large quantities of meth in short time frames which puts stress on him and Jesse. At the end of the season, Walt is a new man who has less fears and is more rebellious. Jesse Pinkman Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) is an ex-student off Walters and also a drug dealer. Before he ran into Walter, Jesse was a regular drug dealer who occasionally sold and produced weed and ice. Jesse has a younger brother (Jake) who his parents favour as he is a golden student at school and does well in everything whereas Jessie is the opposite. During the first season, Jesse returns home to his family to seek safety but his parents do not approve of him and will not support him if he still uses drugs. Skylar White Skylar White (Anna Dunn) is the wife of Walter White, sister to Marie Schrader and the mother of Walter Junior. She becomes very concerned for Walters health and what else she can do to help Walt deal with his cancer. Skylar is pregnant with a baby girl named Holly and is nearly due. She is a controlling mother and wife making her very uncomfortable when her husband doesn't tell her where he goes or what he's up to. This puts a strain on their relationship and family as Walter becomes more distant from her. Hank Schrader Hank Schrader is played by Dean Norris and is Walter's brother in-law as he is married to Marie. Hank is a highly regarded member of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and is very good at his job. He is very family orientated and cares for all his family as much as he can. Not much is known about Hank in the first season as he is not a developed character but he does come across as a very bold character and much can be expected of him in the seasons to come. Marie Schrader Marie Schrader is played by Betsy Brandt and is Hank's wife and Skylar's sister. Marie is very vain and may come across rude sometimes but also loves her family with all her heart. She suffers from Kleptomania which occurs in season 1 when she stole a pair of high heels and a baby shower gift for her niece which was a very expensive tiara. Hank is aware of this and insists on a therapist to help her overcome the disorder. Walter White Junior Walter White Junior is played by RJ Mitte and is the teenage son of Walter and Skylar White. Walter Jr. prefers to be called "Flynn" as he is embarrassed to be called Walter. He was born with cerebral palsy and this has affected him in schooling as he gets bullied for being disabled. Walter Junior is very shy and quiet but as the season progresses, he becomes more brave with his dad and standing up to him even though his condition doesn't allow him to fully understand his position. Main Breaking Bad Issues An issue found in the television series Breaking Bad is the use and manufacture of illegal drugs. This is found in every episode and is condoning producing illegal drugs for money. Viewers may see the sympathy of Walter's situation since he has lung cancer and wants to provide for his family, although he is still providing crystallised meth to unknown people. By having his condition, he believes that it is for a good cause but on the other end, many are using illegal drugs. The title Breaking Bad is an alliteration using both a 'B' at the start of each word making it sound more appealing to viewers. The title suggests the breaking of someone from good to bad which in this case is the turning of Walter from an innocent science teacher to a local drug lord. This is the start of Walter's "bad side" and where illegal drugs come into his life. Although he does not use the drugs he produces, he is still breaking the law. The way Walter's character is constructed is so that viewers see his situation as an exemption from the law. Meth is one of the common drugs using in New Mexico and is widely used throughout the show. The show is focused on the production of crystallised meth and how it can make you rich quickly. This can cause problems in society as viewers watching the show may think that making drugs or selling can make you easy money to pay for things. Although the show tries to alter this perception by changing the characters values, there is still the chance that this issue may influence young people to produce or sell drugs for money. Another issue found in the series Breaking Bad ''is use of firearms in public and private spaces. In a few of the episodes guns are used to kill, threaten and protect people. In America, people are allowed to own a fire arm to protect themselves from danger. Although in many cases, they are not used for protection by to attack someone. Jesse owns a gun in his house to protect him but doesn't use it as often as others. Emilio and Domingo are seen using guns to threaten Jesse and Walter into giving them their recipe for meth. Tuco also threatens Jesse and Walter for similar reasons but ends up dead. Using guns are not illegal which a major issue in America is. Guns are used as a form of violence in the series and raises an issue as it is also condoning the use of firearms as a form of violence and protection. The Case Against Breaking Bad Review On August 12 2013, Stephen Bowie wrote a review on the TV drama ''Breaking Bad. ''In the review Stephen explains how he doesn't believe that any of the characters apart from Walter are developed enough and are only there for one purpose. Stephan explains his beliefs on the series and what he believes the producers could have done to change it so the characters were more developed and had a deeper meaning to the show like Walter does. Despite this, a cynical viewpoint looms over the review, and naturally, becomes more bias, comparing the show to ''The Wire and The Sopranos. Bowie makes his opinion relatively clear, and shows it through his criticisms of poor writing, underdeveloped characters, its 'unnecessary' cringe-inducing comedy, and its use of clichés. Bowie heavily criticises the clichés that are prominent in the show, particularly the main scene of its setting, noting the yellow vignette placed over scenes set in barren land of Mexico. Despite this criticism, clichés are often prominent because they are true. A director must exaggerate in order to get their message across, and so, the director will create a yellow muddy tinge to the frame in order to create an atmospheric feel of a hot, dry and scorching day in the wasteland of Mexico. Not only does Bowie critic the clichés Vince Gilligan has presented but he also outlines the undeveloped characters and their cliché flaws that are very predictable. Although Breaking Bad is similar to the comedy ''Weeds, ''Vince admitted during the first season that he would not have gone forward with the series had he known a similar series had already been produced. The critic article is looking at the series from a different angle that viewers may not have thought about. This is a good review but wouldn't be as favoured by fans of the show. I agree with some of the points Bowie has presented but others are over exaggerated and unnecessary. Latest activity Category:Browse